Arlene Perly Rae

Arlene Perly Rae is a Canadian journalist, literary critic and author. She is married to Canadian politician Bob Rae.

Background

Perly Rae was born in 1949 and educated at the University of Toronto, Perly Rae was a longtime reviewer of children's literature for the Toronto Star. In 1997, she published Everybody's Favourites, a consumer guide to children's literature which evaluated some of the best books in the genre. She has also written as a freelancer for The Globe and Mail, Quill and Quire and Maclean's. Her interest in the welfare of children has led her to be a part of the national Campaign Against Child Poverty. Both Perly Rae and her husband are members of Holy Blossom Temple, a Reform Jewish congregation in Toronto.

Perly Rae has also been on the boards of McClelland and Stewart, the Stratford Festival, and World Literacy of Canada, as well as on the Steering Committee for the United Way of Greater Toronto. She is currently co-chairing the YWCA's Elm Centre Capital Campaign, a project set to create 300 units of permanent housing for women and women-led families in Toronto. Perly Rae is frequently invited to give speeches on such diverse topics as literacy, combating racism, and the importance of the arts.